After 6 really long months of trying to be patient as wind, water, and critters of ALL sorts played havoc, we have finally harvested our FIRST apple off our apple tree.

I never knew how much went into growing an apple until now. When our tree was covered in blossoms this spring, we were so excited. Then came.... The Birds! Waxwings! They began eating our blossoms like they were going out of style. We thought for sure it would be another fruitless season. However, the birds managed to leave the very bases of the blossoms, so they were able to pollinate and form fruit. We started with over 100 teeny apples on our tree at the beginning of the season. Then, Texas' famous spring winds began to blow. We watched sadly as our tree was blown and twisted all over in the wind. When all was said and done, and the winds began to calm, we were left with about 30 apples, still holding strong to their branches. Next came... the bugs. I do not think anything grows well in Texas because of the bugs. Our apples were sizing up so well. But, you would see a perfect apple one day, the next it would have one small hole, then the next it would be brown, shriveled, and mush! Yuck! We treated our remaining apples for bugs, then came the Mocking Birds. We tried everything to get rid of the darn things. Foil, Loud Noises, Brie running out there all day to scare them off. They were bound and determined to finish off our apples. When we went on vacation, we were pretty sure there would be nothing left. However, when we came home, it was a splendid sight. Only a few were left, but they looked AMAZING! In all, we harvested 6 apples. Not even enough for each of us to get our own, but we still had pure joy! What a feat we had accomplished. Maybe next year we will have that large harvest we were hoping for. Apple pies, Applesauce, Baked Apples. Yum! Just maybe.